Furniture fittings



'ELA. GRAHAM AND A.-G. BROCKIES. I FURNITURE rmmes. l l APPLICATION FILED MAY24,192I. K QSQGGQ I Patented NOV. 7, 1922.

2snm I r I. I lilllil E. A. GRAHAM AND A. C. BROCKIES. FURNITURE rmmes.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHE 2- Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

sr'ra EDWABDALFBED GRAHAM AND ALFRED CHARLES BROCKIES, OI BROCKLEY, LONDON,

ENGLAND.

FURNITURE FITTINGS.

Application filed May 24,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD ALFRED GRAHAn and ALFRED Crmnnns Brooms, subjects of'the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing, respectively, at Brockley, in the county ofLondon, England, have invented Improvements in or Relating to Furniture Fittings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that kind ofmeans for controlling the angular move ment of parts of furniture such as lids or covers of receptacles, cases, pianos, cabinets and the like that are hinged and require to be raised and. lowered, wherein a pendant strut hinged to the lid or equivalent (hereinafter called the lid) is combined with a movement checking device comprising parts adapted to cooperate with the strut in such a way that the lid can be freely opened to a predetermined extent, after which it can be maintained in an open position,-the strut, in supporting the lid, assuming a position which will permit of further opening movement being imparted to the lid to enable the strut to be released and the lid to be then closed.

The present invention has for its object to provide improved lid supporting means of the kind referred to.

To this end, lid supporting means according thereto, comprises a pendant strut hinged to the lid as before and provided at its lower free portion with oppositely arranged lateral pins, a stationary slotted gate plate through which the strut extends, provided at its upper side and on opposite portions of the slot therein, with projections or ridges adapted to cooperate with the pins on the strut, first to limit the upward movement of the lid, then to support the lid in open position and afterwards to permit the strut to be trailed in one direction and become released to allow the lid to be closed, and guiding means below the slotted plate adapted, on the lid being again raised, to act against the strut and guide the pins thereon into proper position above the gate piece to again cooperate with the projections or ridges thereon.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a part sectional side elevation of the upper portion of a gramophone cabinet and Fig. 2 a corresponding plan, illustrating the ap plication thereto of one arrangement of lid controlling means according to the inven- 1921. Serial No. 472,061.

tion. Fig. 3-isa section onthe line III-J11 of Fig. 2. Fig. a is a section on the line I V IV of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 of a modification and Fig. 7 is a section on the line VILVII of Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to at inclusive, 1 1s a bar or strut pivoted freely at 2 to the lid or cover 3 which is hinged as usual at 4:, to the case 5. The strut 1 is adapted to trail along a slot 6 in a gate piece '7 which is secured upon a member 8 of the case, the said strut being provided at its opposite sides with pins 9, 9 adapted to cooperate with humped regions or'abutments on the gate piece 7 at opposite sides of the slot 6 therein. The pins 9, 9 may as shown be constituted by the oppositely projecting end portions of a single cross pin. The gate piece 7 is formed with forward and rearward notches 12, 12 extending from one'side of the slot 6. The pin 9 after passing upward through the slot 6 in the gate piece 7 is arranged to engage the under side of an upper abutment part 10 overhanging the slot 6 in the gate piece 7, which part is formed with a depression or indentation on its upper side so as to produce an internal projection 11 serving to arrest the upward and backward movement of the pin 9 when opening the lid. \Vhen the hand no longer tends to lift the lid and is removed therefrom, the other pin 9, which has been caused to pass through the forward notch 12, will drop into the space behind a ridge 13 on the part of the gate piece 7 at the opposite side of the slot 6, whereby the strut 1 is prevented from moving forward, that is to say to the left of Fig. 1. From an inspection of Fig. 1, it will now be obvious that if the lid 3 be again urged upwards, the strut 1 will drag, the pin 9 backwards until it reaches the rear slot 12 in the gate piece 7 whereupon the lid can be lowered to close the cabinet. Although not essential, it is convenient to cause the pin 9 to ride up a second ridge 15 on the gate piece before the slot 12* is reached.

Any suitable means may be provided to ensure that the strut 1 shall take its proper course through the slotted gate piece 7, such means being exemplified in the drawings as a yielding finger 16 formed as a spring blade normally occupying the full line position shown in Fig. 1 so that whilst the strut 1 is sliding upward along the rear edge 6 of the slot 6, during the opening of the lid 3, the pin 9 will engage the finger 16 and gradually be guided thereby to the notch 12. When the lid is being closed and the strut 1 is therefore sliding downward along the rear edges 6 of the slot 6, the pin 9 will first encounter the rear side of the spring finger 16 and will in this instance, displace the latter as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, instead of being itself displaced thereby, until it passes below the lower end of the finger, whereupon the finger will spring back to its full line position (Fig. 1) so that when the lid and strut are again raised, the pin 9 will bear against the convex front side of the finger and be properly guided thereby to the notch 12 in the slotted gate plate 7 The function of the modification illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 is practically the same as that already described, the construction alone being slightly varied. Thus, the pin 9 is arranged to be arrested in its forward trailing movement by a tongue 17 displaced from the part 10 of the slotted gate piece 7, whilst the pin 9 and strut 1, are, when the lid 3 is partly lowered, prevented from moving forward by a tongue 18 displaced from the opposite side part of the gate piece 7, and against which the said pin 9 then engages.

lVhat we claim is 1. Lid supporting means for a cabinet or other receptacle, comprising in combination with a receptacle and a movable lid therefor, a pendant strut hinged to the lid and provided at its lower free end portion with oppositely arranged lateral pins, a slotted gate piece fixed to the receptacle and through which the strut extends, said gate piece being provided at its upper side and at opposite portions of the slot therein, with abutment devices adapted to co-operate with the pins on the strut first to limit the upward and backward movement of the lid, then to support the lid in open position and afterwards to permit the strut to be trailed in one direction and become released to allow the lid to be closed, and guiding means below the slotted plate adapted, on the lid being again raised, to act against the strut and guide the pins thereon into proper position above the gate piece to co-operate with the abutment devices thereon, substantially as described.

2.'Lid holding means according to claim 1, wherein the guiding means below the gate piece is constituted by a movable device that is normally held in the path of the strut, when the same descends on closing the lid, and is adapted to be moved to one side by the descending strut and afterwards to be returned to its normal position to act as a guide for the strut when the latter is being raised.

3. Lid holding means according to claim 1, wherein the guiding means below the gate piece is constituted by a spring finger that is moved laterally in one direction by the strut, when the lid is being closed, and acts to move the strut in the same direction and to guide its lower end portion when the lid is being raised, substantially as described.

4. Lid supporting means for a cabinet or other receptacle comprising a pendant strut hinged to the lid and provided at its lower free end portion with oppositely arranged lateral pins, a slotted gate piece fixed to the receptacle and through which the strut extends, said gate piece comprising a slotted plate fixed to the receptacle and through which the strut extends, said slotted plate having at one side of the slot therein an abutment flange overhanging the slot and provided with a downwardly extending projection adapted to act, in conjunction with the flange, as a stop to prevent lateral movement of the strut in one direction when it is raised and the other side of the plate having laterally arranged notches and between said notches, an upwardly extending projection adapted to act as a stop to prevent movement of the strut in the opposite lateral direction when the strut is partly lowered, and a spring blade finger extending from the lower side of the slotted plate into a position to be engaged by one of the pins on the strut when the latter is descending and to be pressed sideways thereby and afterwards to guide the said pin through one of the lateral notches in the said slotted plate when the strut is raised, substantially as described.

5. For use in supporting the lid of a receptacle, a slotted gate piece adapted to be fixed to a receptacle, and provided at one side of the slot therein with an overhanging abutment having a downwardly extending projection adapted to act as a stop and at the opposite side of'the slot with laterally extending notches and between such notches with an upwardly extending rojection also adapted to serve as a reverse y acting stop, substantially as described. I

6. For use in supporting the lid of a receptacle, a slotted gate piece adapted to be fixed to a receptacle and provided at one side of the slot therein with an overhanging abutment having a downwardly extending projection adapted to act as a stop and at the opposite side of the slot with laterally extending notches and between such notches with two upwardly extending projections spaced apart one behind the other and of which the forward one is adapted to serve as a reversely acting stop, described. 1

7. For use in supporting the lid of a receptacle, a slotted plate adapted to be fixed to a receptacle and provided at one side of substantially as the slot therein with an overhanging flange provided with a depending projection and at the opposite side of the slot with two laterally extending notches and between such notches with an upwardly extending projection, and a curved spring blade carried by said slotted plate and extending downwardly from the rear side of one of said notches to a position below the other notch, substantially as described for the 10 purpose set forth.

Signed at London, England this ninth day of May, 1921.

EDWARD ALFRED GRAHAM. ALFRED CHARLES BRQCKIES, 

